Grain-germinating apparatus.



No. 758,083. PATENTED APR. 2 6, 1904.

v. LAP?.

GRAIN GERM-INATING APPARATUS. APPLIOATION FILED um 29, 1901.

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No. 758,033. p y vluflrmqfr'n 4BR. 26,1904'.` Y

V. LAP?.

GRAIN GERMINATING APPARATUS. v APPLITIONILED MAY 29, 1901.

N0 IODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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Patented April 26, 1904.

VALENTINLA'PP, or'A LEIPZIG, GERMANY..

GRAIN-GERMINATING APPARATUS.'

SPECIFICATION forming part `of Letters Patent N0. 7 58,083, dated April 26, 19o/'4.

Application filed May 29, 1901.

To 1r/ZZ whom t may cori/cern:

- Beit known that LVALENTIN LAPP, brewer, a subject of the King ofA Saxony, residing at Lindenau, near Leipzig, in the Kingdom of Saxony, in the German Empire, have invented a new and Improved Grain-Germinating Apf, paratus, of which the following is a speciflca-- tion.

V This invention relates to an apparatusV for initiating and carrying through the germination of grain intended for the production of wort for beer; and my, improvements consist in certain combinations and arrangements of parts, as are fully described hereinafter.

' In order to make my invention more clear, I refer to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters denote similar parts throughout the several views-,andin which-` Figure l is a vertical sectionl through my improved apparatus. Fig. 2 isa horizontal section through the same in line' 7 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 shows an enlarged portion of the upper half of Fig. 1. -Fig. 4 is an enlarged separate view of the sieve-bottom b3, the slides z, Fig. l, being Withdrawn. g n

The germination vessel i 'is of cylindrical shape and provided with aperforated bottom (sieve-bottom) b3 for supporting the grain. Below said bottom is a space Z for a waterbath and for cooling-pipes m', which lattermay be furnished with protective shields n. The lower end of the funnel-shaped lower part c of thegermination vessel is closed by a suitable valve, such as a slide, the construction being of any suitable kind, a diagrammatic view of the same `being shown at fw.

process when the germinated grain islet out of Thevessel z' may bc provided with inlet and outlet pipes p p for leading, if necessary, fresh water to the grain, the pipep serving, for instance, for leading in the fresh water and the pipe p serving vfor .leading olf the foul water, and there are further provided pipes g2 g3 gi for leading compressed air or oxygen and liquid air into said vessel, the

serial No. 62,310. (No man.)

pipe g2 serving, for,V instance, for leadingin the compressed air or oxygen and the vpipe g? serving for leading in liquid air below the sieve-bottom b3, Whereas the pipe q4L serves for leading the liquid air into and through the Water contained in the part c of the vessel. Y wish it, however, to be understood that the pipes g3 g4 may also be employed for the introduction of compressed air; but the pipe g2 vis never employed for ntheintroduction of l'liquid air, the latter being led in exclusively either throughv g3 or through g", dependent on -whether the air entering through said pipes shall be laden with moisture or not. At the k cover or lidof the vessel is a 'device s (spray,

perforated pipes, or the like) for distributing fwater in a inely-divided state over and` upon the grain, and, if desired,` also cooling-pipes:V m mayV be arranged ,in the upper part of the vessel i above the grain. y

. It will be understood that water or air of the required temperature may be passed through the pipes m or m to either raise or f lower the-temperature in the vessel Ato the degree desired.

The vessel may be provided with means for stirring the grain-for instance, helixes 2fand these may be so arranged as to be adapted to rotate in one or the other direction. In

the' form of construction shown in Figs. l and 3 the shaftsl t' of the helixes t extend downwardfrom one of six radial arms having rolls 3, adapted to run upon a circular rail t4, xed to the wall of the casing v1. That of the six arms fromwhich the shafts t extend downward is reinforcedthat is to say, it is thickerl i and stronger than the other armspand has the same section throughout its entire length. The arms t2 holdV a .circular rack t5, gearing With'a cog-wheel t, located outside the casing gear with its neighboring one or ones, andone of said shafts (the second with respect to the wall of the casing) is provided also above the respective arm t2 with a cog-wheel tu, gearing With a circular rack 12, located above the rack t5, but having a smaller diameter. Therefore by rotating the worm t the helixes t are made to rotate as well as to revolve, so as thereby to stir the grain. There is further an opening c for introducing the steeped grain the grain is preferably arranged directly overv the vessel, and both are connected'with each other by a casing adaptedto be closed by aslid'ey.

' When the steeped grain has entered the Vess'el c', compressed air,` or what is preferred, oxygenis introduced into said vessel through the pipe'gz. l

' During the first two days the grain isvkept on a temperature of 15O centigrade, and after this time the temperature is raised to locentigrade, while during the last half-day atemperature of preferably from about 18o to 20o centigrade is made use of. As soon as the grain has reached the temperature desired the latter may beat once lowered, so as to avoid' a fur-y ther dissolution of the grain. 'For raising Itheftemperature air or water of a suitablede- 'gree of temperature is led through'the uppermost' series of the pipes m, and for yloweringit airY or water of a suitable degree of .tem-- perature is led through the` pipes m.V During the germination period .also liquid air may be led to and into the grain, this kind of =air exertingI an especially advantageous and accelerating' action upon thel germination and theV dissolution ofl the grain. One l-iterof liquid air isusedA for one hundred hundred'- weights of grain. Bly leading "liquid air of V a kind which contains only little nitrogen, but

much oxygen, to the grain this latter is more quickly and thoroughly dissolved lin -that the oxidation in the interior of the-grains proceedsmore easily and the dissolving action of the cytase and diastase in the grain is materially promoted by the oxygen as well as by the pressure.V The dissolutionproceeds very quickly in a perfect manner. A

If during the process of germination another supply of lwater appearsv necessary, thatwater is added, preferably, in a finely-distributed state-for instance, by means of a sprayand is directed upon the lupper part. of the grain, so that by this means the grain is constantly or temporarily moistened again, just Also a thermometer, a hy' 'In either case the -moved. from the same.. air. or oxygenlmore easily evenvif but a low erabl'y employed ina cooled state.

as required. Any excess of Water is let off at'the lower part of the grain-z'. e. at the bottom of the vessel. In .this manner the grain which is just about to germinate may be moistened again as oftentimes as required, or it may be even completely soaked, just as the case may be. Also'in one or the other of these cases the germinating wet grain may be temporarily exposed to a more or less powerfulv current of air, so as thereby to cause the grain to take up the water more rapidly.

The moistened compressed vair may be led to the grain also from below, or' yit may be sucked through the grain in upward direction. pipe g3 or the pipe g4 is made use of. Instead of ordinary air liquidair may be is obtained even if the latter forms an unusu-` ally thick layer. The perfect cooling is based on the vfact that liquid air when heated and during expansion absorbs a very great-quanytity of heat, which is lconducted away Afrom thethicklayer of grain or maltr By this meanslthicker layers of' maltl than hitherto employed maybe caused t0 germinate at a time,v and owing tothe4 energetic cooling of the malt the carboniclacidis by far betterme- The malttakes up the temperature is used.

The carbonio acid developing at they com-- mencernent or during the first period of the germination may be suckedoli', if desired, in an upwardA or in a downward direction by means of pipes g5. g, the first, g5, being lo-v cated above the grain, the other, g, below.

l 8o lmade to pass intofand through thewateigand this air may'then be led through and into the germinating grain.

Ioo v Atthesame time compressed air may be led to the grain or malt either from below- (through the pipe g3) or from above, (through the pipe' g2,) as the casemay be, that air being pref- Afterthe enzymes have formed within thegerminating grain the natural developmentproceeds without any other suigiply of oxygenr .being required, When this; period in the formation IIO of the enzymes has been reached, which Occurs and is chiefly nished generally at the third day of the treatment ofthe germinating' gram,

the Current 0f air passing through the grain is interrupted, and the germinating grain is exposed for ashor-tftime or temporarily (pe, rOdically) to. the action of compressed air or of carboni@ acid, and, if desired, liquid air may for a time be caused to pass through the germinating grain, so as to cool the same. The pressure should notbe below one atmos phere Vand notf above. three, The complete dissolution or disintegration proceeds then very quickly in that the carbonio acid which IZO germinating grain without the cooperation of i oxygen. v

The' carbonio acid .formed in the malt is either sucked orf the vessel from time to time or is allowed to remain inside said vessel, because it accumulates mainly below the germinating grain. From this space the carbonic acid may be sucked off either directly-for instance, by means of the pipe g-or in an upward direction through the grain-for instance, by means of the pipe g5.. It is necessary during the process of germination to keep the 'grain cool. The cooling may be effected, for instance, in such a man-4 ner that theair entering through the pipe g2 is caused to pass between the pipes m above the grain and a cooling liquor is made .to iiow through said pipes,when the air thus cooled is sucked through the grain by means of the pipe g3, so as to cool the same in its turn. Such cooling-pipes may also be used for cooling the water-bath below the grain. -It is clear that by leading air-for instance, compressed air or liquefied air-into or through the thus cooled water a particularly low degree of cooling may be attained, sothat even a thick layer of grain or malt may be kept cool by either forcing or sucking the thus cooled air through it. Having now described my invention, what I desire to secure by arpatent of the United States isl. VThe combination, in a grain-germinating apparatus, or' a closed vessel, a false bottomV apparatus, of a closed vessel, a false bottom inside the saine; means for introducing water into, and leading` it awayT from, the space below said bottom; means for introducing air into said space; means for conducting the grain to the said bottom; apertures in the latter adapted to let the grain passinto the said space when empty; means .for closing said apertures; means for letting the grain leave said space, and means for conducting away the carbonic acid, substantially as described.

3. The combinatlon, 1n a grain-germinating apparatus, of a closed vessel, a false bottom inside the same; means for introducing water into, andleadmg it away from, the-space below said bottom; means for `introducing air into said water; means forV conducting the grain to the said bottom; apertures in the latter adapted to let the grain pass into yth'e'said space when empty; means for closing said apertures; means for letting the grain leave said space,- and means for conducting away `the carbonic acid, substantially asdescribed.

4. rThe combination, in aLgrain-germinating apparatus, of a closed vessel, a false bottom inside the same; means for introducing water into, and leading it away from, the space below said bottom,` means for introducing liquid air into the vessel; means for conducting the grain to the said bottom; apertures in the latter adapted to let the grain pass into the said space Y when empty; means for closing said apertures; means for lettingV the grain leave said space,

and means for conducting away the carbonio space when empty; means for closing said.

apertures; means for letting the grain leave said space, and means for conducting away the carbonio acid, substantially as described.

Y5. The combination, in a grain-genuinating apparatus, of a closed vessel, a false bottom insidethe same; means for introducing Water into, and leading it away from, the space below said bottom; cooling-pipes passing through said' water; means for conducting-the grain to the bottom; connections for leading air to said grain; apertures in said bottom adapted to-let the grain pas's into the said space when empty; means for closing said apertures; means for letting the grain-leave said space, and means for conducting away the carbonio acid, sub-y .stantially as described.. Y

7. The combination, 1n a grain-germinating apparatus, of aclosed vessel, a false bottom IIO inside the same; means forintroducing water f' into, and leading it away from, the space below said bottom; cooling-pipes passing through said space as well as through the upper space of the vessel; `means for conducting the grain` tothe bottom; connections for leading air to said grain; apertures in said bottom adapted tolet the grain pass into the said space when Y empty; means for closing said apertures; means for letting the grain leave said space, and means for conducting away the carbonio acid, substantially as described.

8. The combination, in a grain-germinating apparatus, of a closed vessel, a false bottom inside the same; means for introducing waterk into, and leading it away from, the space beand means for conducting away the carbonio acid, substantially as described.

' In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses. VALENTIN LAPP.

Witnesses:

RUDOLPH FRIGKE, CHAs. J. BURT. 

